A few days ago I got the new issue of Bluegrass Unlimited in the mailbox - an actual ink on paper magazine. And this makes two firsts in one. Despite being a bluegrass fan since the 1980s and a reader of Bluegrass Unlimited here and there, I’ve never subscribed. The other big moment is in the magazine’s life. It’s the first issue published under new ownership. After decades of being published by its founder Pete Kuykendall and then his widow, the venerable monthly - the bible of bluegrass - has been acquired by the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Owensboro, KY. The new editor is guitar publishing veteran Dan Miller.
What a makeover. BU has been a stalwart source of news, features and reviews, but its design had scarcely changed since the 1980s. It was fustier than the carpet at the old Galt House Hotel in Louisville, home to many 1990s IBMA conventions. So behold the new look, with star singer, songwriter and fiddler Becky Buller having fun on the cover. There’s a striking new logo, great color contrast and an overall sense of purpose. It’s also perfect bound, so the magazine’s spine would show on a shelf. Looks clear and clean inside too, where features await on Lindsay Lou, Tim Stafford, Gibson luthier David Harvey and more. And at only $28 per year, it’s kind of a steal.
I wrote in September about Dan Miller and his plans for the journal.
Nice to have the first issue in hand.